Many vehicles have power window systems. These systems provide for the power driven opening and closing of a vehicle window in response to the activation of a window control switch. Normally, when the window control switch is activated the window travels to either a fully closed position, a fully open position, or a “vent” position. Occasionally, when causing the window to travel to a fully closed position, the window may encounter resistance before it is fully closed. This resistance can be caused by an object that traverses the closing plane of the window, most often a body part of a person or animal within the vehicle. Without a system in place that can detect when a window has encountered a resistance before fully closing and that can take appropriate action to prevent the window from fully closing once the resistance is detected, serious injury or death can result from the continued closing of the window.
Window control systems have been designed that attempt to solve the above-mentioned problem. Some window control systems use sensors to detect the force caused by the resistance of window movement. However, sensors often require skilled installation that can be costly for vehicle manufacturers and consumers. Other systems have used light emitters and detectors to detect an obstruction by light blockage or reflection at the detector. However, lighting systems can be extremely sensitive to environmental and traffic lighting conditions, interference that can complicate the processing that must occur to determine whether or not an obstruction or a change of environmental lighting has occurred. Still further, other control systems rely on detecting window motor torque values. These systems, while effective, have disadvantages in that they can be difficult to implement, costly to manufacture, and can be susceptible to failed detections that may lead to serious injury. Additionally, the above systems may not be able to be implemented in all vehicle makes and models due to the particular sensors or other devices used in the window control system. Furthermore, the above systems may be susceptible to failure or inaccuracy depending on weather conditions, especially extremely cold conditions.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a window control system that can universally be installed in all vehicle makes and models and that can provide anti-pinch features while eliminating the drawbacks of the current window control systems.